Welcome to the Opera Institute student information page. Here you will find information about casting, class rosters, and production-related news.
2026 Main Stage Cast Lists
Roméo et Juliette
Juliette: Avuya Ngcweni/Abigail Orr (Amy Wang, cover)
Stephano: Juliette Kaoudji/Lindsey Weissman (Makenna Palacio, cover)
Gertrude (+chorus): Janae Peterson (JP)/Makenna Palacio (+chorus)
Roméo: David Rivera Bozón/Shuangxiang Shan
Tybalt: Ryan Hanger/Minsun Im
Benvolio (+chorus): Andrew Steele (+chorus)
Mercutio: Matt Feinberg/Libang Wang
Pâris (+chorus): Gonzalo Lamego (+chorus)
Grégorio (+chorus): Wenlong Zhang (+chorus)
Capulet: Ethan Wagner/Jongho Woo (Tae Woong An, cover)
Frère Laurent: Chenxi Fu
Le Duc: James Demler
CORO
SOPRANO I
Zoe Bennett, Rose Carilli, Dongge Li, Ziqi Liu,
Bianca Rahme, Wanda Sullivan, Geyang Xu, Emily Szubielski
SOPRANO II
Emma Giventer-Braff , Emma Giventer-Braff, J. Lamoureux, Bianca Lucas,
Lauren Mahoney, Makenna Palacio, Janae Peterson, Janae Peterson,
Roshan Sivaraman, Audrey Hyers
TENOR I
Judd Blake, Greysen Kemper, Zhenhao Xiao
TENOR II
Andrew Mak, Andrew Steele, Youxin Wang
BARITONE I
Gonzalo Lamego, Wenlong Zhang
BARITONE II
Tae-Woong An, Jerome Boxer
Flight
Refugee: Devin Barry/Sergio Savala
Controller: Rose Carilli/Abigail Orr
Bill: Judd Blake/David Rivera Bozón (Minsun Im, cover)
Tina: Isabella Abbrescia/Abigail Cunningham
Older Woman: Emma Giventer-Braff/Janae Peterson
Stewardess: Anna Gaddie/Hannah Prince
Steward: Matthew Feinberg/Ethan Wagner
Minksman: Wenlong Zhang/Jongho Woo
Minskwoman: Juliette Kaoudji/Lindsey Weissman (Makenna Palacio, cover)
Immigration Officer: Chenxi Fu
Production: Rehearsal and Performance Protocols
Attendance and Punctuality
The success of each production, as well as your personal development as an artist, depends on full participation in all published rehearsals and coachings. Attendance and punctuality is assumed and expected for all activities.
“To be early is to be on time, to be on time is to be late, to be late is to be forgotten.”
Preparation
First musical coaching of assigned material (including scene assignments, and principal, comprimari roles and ensemble for staged productions) Student is responsible to arrive comfortable and familiar with the assigned music and able to sing all notes, rhythms, and language with a score.
Final musical rehearsal before staging
Student may hold score for taking coaching or conductor’s notes, but music must be memorized and translated.
First Staging rehearsal
Student must be off book, know the language word for word, and be ready to move freely without the score and integrate stage direction. Covers must be off book by the first run-through of the entire opera, and also are expected to know the staging by that time.
Staging and Technical Rehearsal Schedules
All company members are expected to be available for all published rehearsal times during the staging period for mainstage and Fringe productions:
- Mainstage: Staging usually begins 5 weeks before opening.
- Fringe and Satellite productions: Staging begins 2-3 weeks before opening.
- Technical rehearsals at the theater generally begin one week before opening, and can require up to 10 hours per day.
Ensemble/chorus rehearsals are generally held within normal opera class times until 2 weeks prior to opening, when weekend and evenings are expected.. Scenes rehearsals are all held during opera class designated class times, except on tech/dress weekend. (Special rehearsals may be arranged by advance agreement of all parties).
Dress Rehearsals, Sitzprobes and Performances
All cast members are expected to attend all dress rehearsals and Sitzprobes for the opera productions, although exceptions may be granted for alternating casts at the discretion of the faculty and the stage director.
All cast members are expected to arrive at their call time indicated on the daily call for wigs, make-up, or other pre-show necessities.
Students in the chorus/ensemble will be given a separate and specific schedule of calls in advance of the production period
Double Cast Protocols:
Each pair of double cast roles are also expected to be available as covers for their alternate cast member.
Alternate cast members shall be “on-call” during all performances when they are not performing the role in case their alternate becomes unavailable. This includes:
-Being on the premises of the performing venue
-Informing stage management of your location
-Being available to receive phone calls and/or texts should circumstances require you to perform the role in place of your alternate.
(Covers: see “Responsibilities of Covers and/or Understudies” below)
Master Schedule and Daily Call
Every effort is made on the part of the faculty, managing director and stage management to provide timely notification of schedules. A Master Schedule for each production will be released at least one month prior to the start of staging. This schedule will include expected time frames that all company members must save for rehearsal, and details for each day of rehearsal will be released via a daily call, published the evening before each day of rehearsal.
Absence Requests
It is expected that all absence requests for production rehearsal times will be submitted at least two weeks prior to the start of rehearsals. In the event that special circumstances arise (family tragedy, unusual career opportunities) after this deadline, students should seek immediate counsel with the faculty and managing director and submit an absence request.
When accepting a role (or a cover role), it is assumed that the student does not have prior commitments (unless release has already been granted), and untimely requests could result in being removed from a role and affect your grade.
Responsibilities of Covers and/or Understudies
Absence Requests
Assigned covers are expected to use the procedures described above in obtaining a release for any rehearsal.
Musical preparation and music rehearsals
While every effort will be made by the faculty to provide coachings for the covers, it cannot be promised. Therefore, assigned covers should strive to learn and memorize the music to the best of their ability. Further, the covers are invited to attend any and all coachings of the cast member they are covering. Covers are expected to attend all music rehearsals as indicated on the master calendar.
Staging, tech and dress rehearsals
The cover artist is expected to attend the following staging rehearsals:
- The initial staging of a given scene
- The review/run through of an Act
- All “run-through” rehearsals in the 808 rehearsal space (usually during the final week before moving to the Theatre.)
In the event that a principal artist is ill or has obtained a professional release, the cover artist may be requested to attend and work in additional rehearsals as necessitated by the absence of the principal artist. Every effort will be made to give timely notice to the cover should they be needed.
Performances
Covers are expected to attend the opening night of each cast, and check in with Stage Management the morning of each show, providing accurate emergency contact information for each night of the run. Whether or not a cover will be asked to perform the role in performance is at the discretion of participating faculty.
If a cover artist is also in the ensemble of the production, the calls for the ensemble will be in addition to the above.